The present guide supports the HLT students and instructors by means of exemplary themes in the development of intercultural competences. These should enable the children and adolescents to become capable of acting in the confrontation between the conditions of their living environment and the societal context. The strengthening of their multicultural and multilingual identity can serve them as a valuable resource when it comes to communicate adequately in a diverse, often contradictory and uncertain society, to articulate expectations, and to deal with conflicting situations.
This volume is comprised of six thematic units with an identical structure. Each begins with a short introduction and includes seven concrete teaching suggestions that are related to different areas of competence (see below; also the overview at the end of the booklet). The teaching suggestions are matched with the designated grade and proficiency levels; however, almost all of them can be applied at the lower or higher levels with corresponding adjustments.
The orientation on the actual environment and living environment of the children and youths was a central criterion for the selection of the themes for the six units. In order to support the students optimally and authentically in their possibilities for action and in their self-effectiveness, the teaching suggestions were designed to include discussions of conflict potentials, possibilities, resources and resolutions and to promote intercultural learning as a cross-sector task at all levels. Always included in the design and highly desirable is the cooperation with regular curriculum education or with other HLT groups.
The six units are presented in the following order (in parentheses are the central competence areas):
1 Culture and identity: alike and yet different!
(Promotion of identity development).
2 Migration stories: the world in our class
(Biographical learning).
3 Our languages: we speak more than one
language! (Awareness of daily life multilingualism as a resource).
4 Intercultural communication – getting along with each other (ability to communicate).
5 Conflicts: seeking solutions together
(competence to avoid and resolve conflicts).
6 Democracy and children’s rights: we get
involved! (understanding the concept of justice and democracy).
Many of these themes relate to students‘ personal experiences, observations and attitudes. Dealing with these topics in class demands of the instructor a great deal of sensitivity, confidentiality and a classroom climate characterized by trust and acceptance. Without these important prerequisites, it is quite possible that the students will not open up and that the above referenced goals will either not be attained or only partially.